Rise of the Toa Viso
by Leo-Blazer
Summary: 6 new toa have emerged, but...they're not what you expected... CHAPTER 4 UP! REALLY!
1. The Great Hall

Rise of the Toa Viso 

A single ray of light shone through as the rubble was removed. It had been several days after the sudden earthquake of the great city, Metru nui. The earthquake had caused the Matoran's most sacred place, The Hall of the Toa, to be buried in rubble. Since then, the city had been completely overrun by spider-like creatures called Visorak. Once Roodaka, the Visoraks' ruthless queen had discovered the location of the temple, she had ordered the Visorak to dig it up and retrieve anything that was inside.

A red, insect head poked through the hole as the boulder was removed. Roodaka had sent 6 Visorak, one of each kind, to investigate the area. The leader of the group, Vohtarak, quickly climbed through, followed by the other five breeds. They looked on at the remains of the once great hall. Their mission was to stake out the area, and, if anything was found, to be brought back to her immediately.

The six different Visorak began to spread out, each searching a different area of the once great temple. Vohtarak observed the search, making sure nothing was overlooked, which none of them wanted. Even though the Visorak served Sidorak and Roodaka, it was not by choice. The Visorak were slaves to these two and if they even tried to rebel, they would be destroyed on the spot.

Vohtarak was wondering whether they would find anything, when he heard one of the others call from deep within the temple. Vohtarak was known for his speed and in mere minutes, he had met up with Oohnorak, his noble follower. The Pith-black Visorak's yellow eyes glared at a large door, covered in strange markings. They both knew that something lay beyond that door. A wave seemed to pass through the air as Oohnorak used his telepathic abilities to summon the other 4 Visorak.

First to arrive was Roporak. His brown color seemed to reflect the light, causing him to almost blend in with his surroundings. The next one to arrive was Suukorak, the pure white tactical master. Boggarak arrived right after him, her blue color glinting in the light. The last one to get there was Keelerak, a leaf green Visorak who was the most unpredictable of them all.

Vohtarak started to make a loud screeching noise, which was their way of speaking. What he was saying was "What do you all have to report?"

Boggarak started screeching as well, saying, "I found nothing of interest."

"I found nothing as well." Responded Roporak.

"Nothing of interest or concern caught my eyes." Answered Suukorak.

"Nothing but rubble, rubble and more rubble as far as the eye can see." Was Keelerak's answer, meaning that he too had found nothing.

"Good. I suspect that whatever Roodaka wants us to find, is behind this door." He turns to the door. The door was immense, covered in carvings of previous Toa's throughout the ages. The symbols of the six elements: Fire, water, earth, wind, ice, and sand were also present.

"Great. How do we get through this thing?" asked Keelerak.

"Leave that to me." As he said this, Vohtarak's eyes seemed to shift from his normal green, to a bright orange. His skin began to glow, transforming into armor as tough as steel. He had entered into his Berserk stage, where his body became invincible as he madly charged at the door. With a loud crash, he collided headfirst into the door, kicking up a cloud of dust. For a moment, a cloud of dust filled the air, clouding the area. Slowly, the dust cleared and what they saw, was something they thought they would never see.

Vohtarak was lying a few feet from the door, as if he was pushed. He appeared to be in pain, even though he had been in his invincible berserk stage. What was even more shocking, was that the door didn't even have a scratch on it. This was impossible! Vohtarak had been able to break through anything before, even hardened steel and he couldn't even scratch a stone door!

"Owwwww…. What is this thing made of?!?"

"Let me try." Volunteered Boggarak. Suddenly, she started to vibrate and a slight humming could be heard. As she slowly walked towards the door, the rubble around her started to shake and break itself apart. A small wisp of gas floated up from the once solid rock. If Vohtarak couldn't break through it, she'd just make so that door no longer existed.

As she was nearing the door, gas floated all around her from the once rubble. Baring her sharp pincers, she rammed them into the base of the door. What happened next really shocked her. Normally, the door would of shaken itself apart the moment her pincers came in contact with it.. Instead, the door started to glow and, just like with Vohtarak, she was thrown back by an unseen force.

"Well…that didn't work. Anyone else got an idea?"

"I say…let's just blast it to pieces!!" Keelerak yelled at the top of his lungs.

Arching his back, energy began to gather behind his head. In seconds, a green spinner-shaped ball of energy, a Rhotuka spinner, had formed on his back. With one quick motion, the spinner was sent hurtling from his back, straight at the door. The spinner struck the door hard, an acid appearing where the spinner struck. Usually, the acid would eat away at the door, but instead it just dripped down, pooling onto the floor and eating a small hole into the floor.

It was at this point, that Vohtarak noticed it. As the acid dripped down the stone door, he thought he saw a glint of light for a moment. For a minute, he thought he'd just imagined. He needed to prove it though…

"Drat! Even my acid can't bust through this thing! Now what? If we don't bust through this door, Roodaka will kill us!"

"Don't worry Keelerak. We'll figure something out." Roporak reassured him. As they were trying to figure out a way to break this down, Vohtarak spoke up.

"Hey Keelerak. Do that again." Every one of them stared at him as if he was insane.

"Huh? What for? You all saw that it didn't work! For what reason would you want me to repeat it?!"

"Just do it. I need to test something." Keelerak was still baffled by this, but decided not to go against it. Once again, he launched his acid Rhotuka spinner towards the door and once again, the acid did nothing to damage it. Once again, he saw a glint of light and he knew that this time he hadn't imagined it. For a moment, he wondered what it was and in a moment, it all clicked into place.

"That's it!" Everyone looked up at him for his sudden outburst. They all wondered why he was acting so strange, and a few of them started to wonder if he had gone insane. Before any of them could say anything, he fired off his own Rhotuka spinner, hitting the fire symbol dead-on.

"Vohtarak!" Spoke up Suukorak, " What is wrong with…"

"Shut up and look." Although they were still unsure about him, they all looked up. It was then that they saw it as well. When his spinner had hit the symbol, red residue fell from it and covered up the marking. When the mark became completely covered up, they saw a round marking below it, burst into red light. It only lasted a moment but they all saw it.

"What was that?" asked Keelerak.

"These markings react to the energy in our disks. If we all fire our discs at the same time, all the markings will light up, which may cause the door to open. This is only a wild guess."

"That sounds logical. This may actually work." Stated Sukkorak.

"Alright, on 3. 1…"

All six of them arched their backs and started gathering energy. In moments, spinners of red, blue, green, silver, yellow and brown were aimed at the door.

"2…3!" With a flick, 6 different Rhotuka spinners were sent hurtling towards the door. Striking the door at the same time, red dust, blue water, green acid, a white forcefield, yellow dust, and brown sand covered up the six markings, causing all six lights of identical colours to light up. A rumbling noise could be heard once the lights lit up. The ground beneath their feet began to shake as the enormous doors slowly slid open, revealing a pitch-black chamber. Slowly, they all stepped in.

"What is this place?" asked Boggarak. Before she could get an answer to her question, the doors behind them slammed shut so fast; they didn't even have time to turn around.

"This is bad! I'm calling for Roodaka!" Using his telepathic powers, Oohnorak tried to send a message to the other Visorak. This was a mistake, as a sudden wave shot into his head the moment he tried to send a telepathic message, giving him a serious migraine. The pain was so intense, he was actually flailing on the floor. The others gathered around him, worried.

"_Sorry I had to do that."_ They all turned at the sudden voice. It had seemed to come from nowhere and yet…it seemed to come from everywhere. As they looked around for the source of the voice, it spoke again.

"_His pain will cease in a moment. I just could not allow him to call that she-devil Roodaka." _They all looked on as the air in front of them seemed to waver and bend, taking on the form of a silhouette. That silhouette soon took on a more solid form and they all looked on as a cloaked figure stood before them.

"_Hello my friends."_

Vohtarak began to screech, calling the cloaked man words in his Visorak tongue. The cloaked man began to laugh.

"_You may call me anything you want, but it won't make a difference…Vohtarak."_

Vohtarak was shocked. Could this guy actually understand him and how did he know his name? As he was thinking this, he heard a groan from behind him and turned to see that Oohnorak had gotten up, and he was angry.

"Why you…" without even finishing his sentence, he breaks into a run, heading straight for the cloaked man, his pincers bared as he prepared to attack. The figure didn't even twitch as he charged towards him. He slowly raised his hand, palm facing out. At the same time, Oohnorak leapt at him, ready to tear his eyes out. Before he even came close through, he stopped…in mid-air. His eyes were still twitching in their sockets, showing that he was still conscious.

_"Sigh…I do not wish to cause any harm to you. I just wish to talk, so please refrain from anymore outburst like this."_

With a flick of his wrist, Oohnorak was sent flying back and he somehow landed safely. He wanted have a go with this guy, but he knew that he would only get the same result, so he backed down. As he backed down, Vohtarak stepped up.

"I know can understand me, so what is it you want from us?" He had a serious tone in his…"screeches".

"_Want? I don't want anything of you. I am here to give you what you want."_

Vohtarak was perplexed.

"And what is it that we want?"

"_Why, you want freedom do you not? Freedom from being in fear of Roodaka's wrath, freedom from having to do her bidding, freedom to do what you wish, when you wish. Freedom to be yourselves, not mindless slaves. That, is what you want."_

Vohtarak was silent for a moment. Could this guy really give them the freedom they all dreamed of? The freedom to run away from Roodaka and not be in fear of her hunting them down? It seemed too good to be true! Almost too good…

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"_Excuse me?"_

"You trap us in this place, hurt one of us when we tried to call for help, then promised us freedom with no strings attached? It's just too good to be true… How do we know you're not just planning on using us for your own selfish gain!"

"Ya!" Spoke up Oohnorak, "You could have killed me with that blast you sent into my brain! I don't trust you one pit!"

"Neither do I!" replied Keelerak, "This guy's been freaking me out ever since we came in here!"

"Why would you give us everything we've ever wanted if there's nothing in it for you! Your whole proposal doesn't sit right with me." Responded Boggarak.

"We know how to open your door, so what's to stop us from leaving this place and bringing back a whole army of us?" added Roporak.

"In a tactical manner, everything you said doesn't fit. We have no reason to believe anything of what you've promised." Spoke up Suukorak.

"Show us some proof that you can really promise all you say you can!" exclaimed Vohtarak.

The cloaked man began to sigh.

"_I should have expected this. You have only known slavery your entire lives so a sudden proposal for freedom leaves you a little sceptical. If you choose to leave, I will not stop you. But know this. If you do leave, you may never learn the truth."_

"The truth?" asked Boggarak, "The truth about what?"

"_The truth…about your very existence." _They all became silent as he continued.

"_If you wish to leave, you may do so know."_ With a wave of his hand, the huge stone doors slowly slid open.

The six of them just stood there for a moment, taking it all in. They had no reason to trust this guy and yet, he seemed to know more about them then they did. If they left, they would remain as slaves, doing Roodaka's bidding until they died or she killed them. But if they stayed, who knows what could happen? They could learn their true purpose in this world, their destiny or they could be forced to go up against unspeakable horrors just for someone's personal gain. It was a tough decision.

"_What is your decision?"_

Slowly, they all stepped away from the door. Their decision had been made. None of them said anything as, they began to realise what difficulties lay ahead of them because of their decision. Vohtarak was the first to speak.

"We wish to know the truth."

"_Excellent choice." _With a wave of his hand, the doors once again slammed shut. With that, their last chance of returning disappeared as well.

Before they continued, Boggarak spoke up.

"Before you begin, I just have one question: who are you?"

The cloaked man grew silent as the question was asked. He seemed to have expected this question, but he still seemed uneasy about telling them. Slowly, he reached back and pulled of his cloak, revealing his face. Every one of them gasped at what they saw.

The man's face was beaten, scars running up the sides of his face. He had hollow light blue eyes, eyes that looked like they had seen the horrors of the world. He was wearing something that resembled the mask of time that Vakama had carved, then lost before the earthquake had befelled Metru-nui. They could hear rasping noises and realised that the mask was the only thing keeping him alive.

"_I realise you are shocked by my appearance. I have had a hard life, seen horrors that would make most lose their mind, and done many things I have long since regretted. But enough about me. It is time you learned about…yourselves." _


	2. The Truth

The Truth 

The six Visorak grew silent as they waited to hear what he had to say. They had just given up their one, possibly their only chance to return. What ever this guy had promised to tell them, it had better be worth it. It was a full few minutes before he spoke.

"_You're all probably wondering who I am. I have no name, only a title. I am known as "The keeper". I have been…cursed to exist throughout history, to eternally record every living event, whether it is goodwill or misfortune. I have seen things none would want to see and heard things that would make most men go blind."_

"But that still doesn't answer why you called us here." Intervened Suukorak.

The Keeper sighed before he spoke.

"_Truth be told, I called you here not only for you sake, but for my own. You see, this room is where the every last bit of history is stored. If Roodaka were ever able to gain entree, she could either destroy all recorded history, or use it to learn all the secrets of this world. That, I cannot let happen."_

"I knew it!" shouted Keelerak, "You only want us for your own personal gain! Why I outta…"

"Keelerak…" Vohtarak cut him off. " Lets listen to what he has to say before we start making assumptions." Keelerak wanted to continue, but he drew back at Vohtarak's command.

"_Thank you. Now, for what I promised. I will show you…the truth." _ As he raised his hands, the entire room became engulfed in bright lights. All six of them shut their eyes as they were almost blinded by it. In moments, it had stopped and when they opened their eyes, they all gasped.

The room they had once been in had disappeared. Instead, they were surrounded on all sides by bright blue sky. Looking down, they almost fell over as they saw they were floating several feet above a huge sea of water. The Keeper began to laugh.

"_I see you are surprised by all this. That was to be expected."_

"What is this?" asked Boggarak.

"_This is a…recording of the past. Images forever moving in an eternal circle. I am able to view any parts of history if I wish. Now, to move on."_

Stamping his foot down, the whole scenery began to change, almost like it was moving. As they continued to float over the large ocean, Oohnorak noticed something in the distance.

"Hey, what is that?" They all looked at what he was pointing at. It didn't take long for them to get close enough to realise what it was. It was an island, an island almost twice the size of Metru nui, maybe even three times as big. As they floated closer, they could make out some of the features of the island.

Like Metru-nui, it had six main areas, connected to one main metro area. The metro area was filled with towering metal buildings, each looked tall enough to touch the sky. A huge roofless dome was located in the very center of the island, surrounded by a huge market area. Hundreds of matorans could be seen running around the metro-area.

"What island is this? It seems…familiar somehow."

"_It should Roporak. This is the island of Viso nui………your true home."_

Every one of them gasped. How could this island of paradise be THEIR true home? It didn't make any sense.

"But…but…" stammered Boggarak.

"_You seem puzzled. Why don't we move in for a closer look."_ With a snap of his fingers, their surroundings changed as they now stood in the very center of the city. As they appeared, they expected someone to scream and freak out at their sudden appearance. But strangely, nothing happened. No one screamed, no one started freaking out and no one started running for their lives. Frankly, Keelerak was starting to get pissed off.

"Hey you!" he yelled at a nearby matoran. The Matoran didn't seem to hear him. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Walking up behind him, he tries to tackle him to get his attention. Instead of smashing into him…he passed right through him! He overcompensated on speed and ended up tripping over his own legs, skidding a few feet on his back.

The Keeper once again starts laughing.

"_This is only a recording…an image of what once was. Nothing we do here has any effect or change on what has already happened."_

"Now you tell me…" was his response as he tried to get back up. (Visorak were not good at getting up from on their backs.)

Every one burst into laughter as they watched Keelerak try and get back up. Vohtarak would have continued, before he noticed a matoran race by. As he watched him pass behind a corner, he felt like he had seen him before…like he knew him…

Breaking away from the group, he raced off after him. Even though he was the fastest of all Visorak, this guy was somehow outrunning him. He followed him as he ran around the corner, but lost him when he ran straight into the market area. Because no one could see him, he began to run through crowd after crowd, looking everywhere for that matoran he had seen. After a few minutes, he saw him near a fruit stand.

Even though he knew they couldn't hear or see him, he slowly crept up behind him. He came close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Hey, you know where I can get any good discs?" asked the Matoran he had followed.

"What you planning on making this time? A mask of super taste?"

"This is serious. I only have three more days to make this mask and you know I have never been late before. So, are you going to answer my question or not?"

"Alright. I heard there's some good ones near Lava Mountain. You'd better hurry if you're going to get them and make the mask before your deadline, Vohta."

"Thanks. Got to go!" With that, he rushes off. Vohtarak was about to race off after him, when he heard someone running behind him. Turning around, he saw the others racing towards him, Keelerak and the Keeper in the back. As they came up to him, Roporak started yelling at him.

"What did you suddenly run off for! We were looking all over the place for you!"

"I…saw…" he stammered. That name the vendor had called that Matoran before he ran off…could that have been…

"You saw what?" asked Boggarak.

"I saw……me." Everyone grew silent as they tried to take in his answer. Suukorak was the first to speak.

"Vohtarak, that couldn't have been you. He's a matoran, you're a Visorak. You're both completely different."

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I know who that was. It was me! I was a matoran once!"

"_What he says is the truth._" They all turned around as the Keeper spoke up. _"Actually, you were all matorans at one point. This is the truth I promised you."_

"But…how is that possible?" asked Suukorak, "How could we have been matorans then and Visoraks now?" He was usually the one with all the answers, but his mind was a blank as their true past was suddenly revealed.

"_For the answer to that question, I must first tell you the history of this great city."_

Snapping his fingers again, they once again appeared in the air, but this time, they were floating over an uncultured island. With another snap, the world around them suddenly went into fast forward, as they saw villages and soon towns began to pop up around the island. As this was going on, the Keeper began to speak.

"_The matoran came to this island many centuries ago. Technologically advanced, they soon flourished into a full community. They built great monuments, enormous buildings and vehicles that moved so fast, it could make your head spin. Although they had this great technology, the only thing they believed in was piece. Like all islands, they had their own team of Toa's, but their only job was to maintain peace and scare away ferocious Rahi. They barely ever went into battle. That was until the day………she came." _As he said this, clouds began to form in the sky.

"As "she" came? You mean…" Oohnorak trailed off as they were all thinking the same answer to his question. The Keeper answered his question, voicing what everyone was thinking.

"_Yes. Roodaka had come." _As he said this, they zoomed in once again. This time, they found themselves at the entrance of the metro area. As they looked on, they saw a hooded figure walking towards them. They coward back as she stepped up to them. As she entered the city, a wind blew her hood right off, revealing her hideous face to the world.

As she entered, a matoran stepped up to her. "Hello madam. Welcome to Viso nui. You must be tired from you travels, so why don't you take a rest in our great city. We have anything you could want, so if you need anything, just ask." As he finished, an evil smile spread across her face.

"Actually, there is something you could do for me." Before he could react, she threw off her cloak, revealing her shadow staff. As he saw her weapon pointed towards him, he started to back away. Before he had taken even two steps, a blast of dark energy shot from her weapon, making him no more

A crowd of matoran had witness her attack and they all started screaming. This caused more screaming, and soon, crowds of matoran were running around the area. Roodaka just laughed as she watched the Matoran run around in panic. Grabbing her weapon, she fired several more blasts of energy, taking out several more of them. As she watched them go down, she let out an evil cackle that rang through the air.

As they continued to look on, they saw her take down dozens of more Matoran, laughing all the way. After a few minutes, the area was completely vacant. Or, almost vacant. A lone Matoran had come to fetch something for his friends and had walked right into the middle of the massacre. He was scared, unable to move, as she slowly walked towards him, brandishing her weapon. Vohtarak couldn't just sit by and watch any longer.

"No!" He screamed as he raced forwards as she raised her weapon. They others tried to stop him, but he just knocked them back as he rushed forward. He wasn't thinking straight, diving in-between them just as she fired. The blast passed right through him like a ghost, striking the Matoran and disintegrating him on the spot. Vohtarack stood silent for a moment, before he rose up, an angry glare in his yes.

"You killed him!! How dare you!!!" Vohtarak's blood began to boil. She was taking out these Matoran one by one, and she was enjoying it! As his rage reached it's peak, his eyes shifted to orange and his skin transformed into hardened armour. Blinded by his furry, he raced forward straight for Roodaka, bent on taking her out. In this state he couldn't think straight as he passed right through her, stopping a few feet behind her. Like a mad bull, he continued to charge at her, passing through her every time.

He would have continued, had the Keeper not grabbed him from behind. Their surroundings had stopped, as he was concentrating on holding Vohtarack back. He was extremely strong, as he was able to hold Vohtarak back in his outraged state, with one hand.

"_Vohtarak, stop. There's nothing you can do. This has already happened so nothing you do can change it. Let it go…for now."_

Vohtarak tried to charge again, still being held back. Slowly, the armour retracted over his skin and his eyes flashed back to their normal green colour. He was panting, as his charges had left him exhausted.

"Sorry about that. I just…couldn't control myself."

"_No need to apologise. Truth be told, I have wished I could have done something to stop her myself. Now, to continue where we left off." _

At his command, they watched as their surroundings began to move again. They followed behind Roodaka (still slightly afraid of her even though she wasn't real) as she walked towards the Grand dome in the center of the city. As they entered the roofless dome, they noticed that she was walking straight for a strange altar in the center of the dome.

"What is she doing? She destroyed everyone in the city just to get a stupid altar!"

"_You are mistaken Keelerak. That is no mere altar, but a device able to transport anyone and anything to any part of the island."_

"But why would she want that?"

"_Why don't we go in for a closer look?" _With a snap of his fingers, they appeared in what looked like the main chamber of a huge pipe system. They saw six tunnels, all marked with a different part of the island. Before they could observe it anymore, they all jumped back as Roodaka fell from above them. With her staff ready, she started looking around the chamber.

"So," her vile voice rang through the chamber, "This is the Matoran's special transport chambers." She began to laugh, an evil laugh. "This will make this a whole lot easier."

Holding her staff up in the air, energy began to gather at the top. In moments, her own Rhotuka spinner had appeared on her staff. Every one of them knew what her spinner was capable of: random and permanent mutations. But instead of firing it, she pulled out something from her hair. It looked like a piece of armour.

"What is that?" asked Roporak.

"_That, my friend, is a piece of armour, from the dreaded beast: The Zivon." _They all grew silent at the mention of the name. The Zivon was a feared colossus with the head that resembled a Visorak and claws and a stinger that resembled a Nui-jaga. It exists in the Zone of Shadows, a realm of permanent darkness. It was especially feared by the Visorak because, Visorak were a delicacy to the Vizon!

"_It's true. Somehow, Roodaka found away to enter into the Zone of Shadows. Once she got in, she stole a piece of the Zivon's armour and somehow, got her powers as well. How she did it, even I don't know."_

"What is he planning to with that?" Asked Roporak.

"_Watch and see if and you will have all your questions answered." _

They looked on as they saw her take the piece of armour and insert it into her staff. Claws shot out of the top, holding the still rotating spinner in place. Aiming the staff down one of the tunnels, a blast of dark energy shot forward, passed through the spinner and barrelled down the tunnel. She did this for the other five tunnels, laughing maliciously.

As they looked on, their surroundings began to change again, this time showing split screens of the whole island. They saw the other identical altars start to spout out dark energy like a fountain, rolling over everything in its path. They watched in horror as they saw Matoran try to run, only to get swallowed up by the wave of energy.

As they looked on, they began to see the Matoran emerge. They became surrounded by a purple aura as they began to transform. Their limbs began to shoot out, transforming into Visorak limbs. Large pincers began to pop out of their faces, as their torsos and heads began to change as well, until every single Matoran had transformed into a Visorak! Before the events could advance any further, they found themselves once again in the empty chamber.

"_Well, now you know the truth about who you really are. After Roodaka had transformed you all into her obedient slaves, she found Sidorak after he was banished from his home. It was easy for her to manipulate him into thinking that he was the ruler of the Visorak hordes, while she continued to pull the strings from behind the scenes." _

"What about their Toa? What happened to them?" asked Boggarak.

The keeper bowed his head, as if in respect.

"_They were the only ones that her spinners power did not reach. They tried to gang together and stop her, but sadly…" _Raising his hand, one of the walls changed, and all six of them gasped as they saw the image of Roodaka with her staff raised above her head…surrounded by the charred remains of the six Toa.

"_As you can see…not even they could stop her. And with her immense army of mutated Matoran, and her staff with the ability to create even more Visorak, she had become all-powerful. Nothing could stop her…until now. This is where you six come in."_

"What do you think we can do?" yelled Keelerak, "You said a whole team of Toa couldn't even take her down! How can we, lowly Visorak, have any hope of stopping her!"

"_That is true. I did say she couldn't be beaten by a team of Toa, or by Visorak. That is why I have decided to make you six neither, and yet, both."_

They were confused. How could they be neither Toa nor Visorak, but also both at the same time? This guy made no sense at all.

"Your riddles confuse me. He can we two things at once, but at the same time be neither?" asked Suukorak. The Keeper seemed to chuckle at this question.

"_I was hoping you'd ask that. To achieve this…you will use these." _ Lightly tapping his foot, octagon shaped panels began to spread across the floor. Tapping his foot again, six select panels began to rise up around him. The tops of the octagon shaped cylinders spread open, puffs of steam rising up as they opened up. As the steam slowly dissipated, they became speechless at what rose out of them.

Floating around the Keeper several feet off the ground, were stones. Not just any stones, but Toa stones, the very things the Toa drew their powers from. They shined with the colours of the 6 elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Ice, Earth and Stone.

"_These are the stones of the Toa of your island home. With the power of these stones, you will be released from Roodaka's evil hold. Almost."_

"What do you mean by almost?" Oohnorak asked with worry in his voice.

"_You see, these stones will embody you with the powers of the Toa. It will also change your form, but you see, the power of Roodaka's spinner has been effecting you for so long, it will be hard to fully reverse, even for the Toa stones. For that reason, you will still retain your abilities as a Visorak. This will mean you will be both a Toa and a Visorak, but you will also be something different. What do you say? Will you except my offer?"_

"I am surprised that you would even ask that question." Vohtarak spoke up, "Of course we'll accept. Because of you, we now have hope in our previously meaningless lives. With the power you have promised, we have the chance to take down our most hated enemy. You all agree with me right?"

They all agreed with what he was saying.. None of them wanted anything more then to take revenge on Roodaka for what she had done to them and their once beautiful home. At that moment, they made a promise, a promise to make her pay for what she had done.


	3. The New Toa!

The New Toa!

"We accept your offer. We wish to use the Toa stones to take down Roodaka and free the rest of the Visorak."

"_I thought you might."_ With a wave of his hands, the six Toa stones flew from around him to each Visorak. The six Visorak grabbed the stones in their pincers as they came flying towards them. They expected something to happen, but nothing did.

"Um…what are we suppose to do?" asked Boggarak after several moments of nothing happening.

"_You see, before, the Toa stones were placed in an altar to transfer the power to the soon to be Toas. Because the Toa Viso altar no longer exists, you six will have to break the stones._"

"Break the stones!?" Roporak yelled bewildered, "I may just be a Visorak, but even I know how much power these stones possess. If we broke these…"

"_It's the only way for you to gain the stone's powers. I know it sounds dangerous, but there's no other way. Again, you have the chance to leave, but if you do choose to leave, you will forget everything that you have learned here. Which would you rather have?"_

"I say we do what he says." They all looked at Vohtarak like he was crazy.

"This guy has told us the truth behind our past and given us the chance to change our future. Don't you think if he wanted to get rid of us, he would have done it a long time ago?" None of them wanted to admit it, but they knew he had a point.

"I'm with Vohtarak." Spoke up Boggarak.

"Me too." Added Keelerak.

"I'm with him as well." Answered Oohnorak.

"He has a point to what he is saying." Responded Suukorak.

Roparak was still silent. He knew they were right, but he also knew the kind of power these stones possessed, enough power to kill him. But…if he went back, Roodaka would probably punish him for failing to bring back anything. Either way he was dead, but this way…

"I'm in." He finally answered. The others all smiled as they heard that he had decided to stay.

"_Good. Now, on 3, crush the stones as hard as you can. 1…" _Their pincers scraped up against the stones as they gripped them firmly.

"_2…" _Their grip hardened as they prepared to slam their pincer down on the stones.

"_3!"_ At his mark, they pushed all their force into their pincers. Cracking sounds could be heard as the stone began to split. Pushing with all their might, the stones split in half, their pieces falling to the ground.

Where they had once been, now hovered six different coloured balls of light.The orbs of light floated above them, spinning around and around in a circle of light. They started to spin faster, and faster, until they seemed to melt together into a hoop of colours. Suddenly, columns of light shot from the spinning orbs, completely enveloping the Visorak.

As the light struck them, they began to change. Their "heads" disconnected from the rest of their body as a neck grew in between. Their pincers seemed to fall off, clattering on the floor beneath them. Their front legs began to transform into arms and hands, as their back legs changed into standable legs and feet. Armour seemed to "grow" over their shoulders as their previous "hands" and feet changed. As their torsos began to change in shape and size, their remaining armour seemed to shift and change until it fit perfectly on their new bodies. As the transformation was taking place, the power proved to be too much for them until, one by one, they all passed out.

As Vohtarak awoke, he noticed a piercing pain in his head. He groaned as he sat up and tried to…wait…he sat up!?! It was then that everything came flooding back to him. The chamber, the Keeper, the images he had shown them and even him giving them the Toa stones. What had happened after that was a blur. As these memories returned to him, he began to notice his surroundings.

He saw that he was inside some kind of tent, woven from a dark green fabric. As he climbed off the bed he was sitting on, he fell over, as he was not used to walking on two legs. Looking around the tent some more, he saw a mirror in the corner of the room. Pushing himself back up, his legs wobbled as he tried to walk across the room to the mirror. After a few minutes, he finally made it and what he saw reflected in the mirror made him gasp.

He saw the face of a Visorak, but it looked different. He still had his green eyes, but they had seemed to have shrunk, along with the rest of his face. It almost looked like the head of the Rahaga, beings that Roodaka had once asked them to hunt down. He no longer had his pincers, just a mouth above his chin and he still had his horn on the top of his head. He looked at himself and saw that his body had changed as well, now looking more like a Toa.

Slowly, he walked away from the mirror (holding onto the wall for support) and walked towards the front of the tent. Stepping out, he saw that he was in a large courtyard, surrounded by walls on all sides. He saw similar tents next to his and guessed that the others must have been inside.

"_Glad to see you're awake."_ He turned to the sudden voice and saw the Keeper walking towards him. He was holding a strange object in his hand, which glinted in the sun as he came closer.

"Uh…where are we?" he was shocked at his own voice, as he was now speaking Matoran instead of his normal Visorak tongue.

"_All in good time. Now, while we wait for the others to wake up, take this. You'll be needing it."_ Taking the object, he tossed it towards Vohtarak, who caught it in his hands. It was then that he noticed what it was. It was a sword, hidden within its sheath, which had images of fire and inferno's on it. He was about to remove it, when he heard noises coming from the other tents.

"_Ah. I see the others have finally awoken." _ Moments later, the other five slowly stepped out of the tents. Like Vohtarak, they too had changed into more Toa like beings, but they seemed to be able to walk better then he had. They all looked around as they too wondered where they were.

"_Good. Now that everyone is awake, we can get started,"_

"Um…started with what?" asked the transformed Oohnorak.

"_Why, your training of course. Which reminds me… take these." _Grabbing a large sack off his back, he tossed it towards them and out tumbled five different sets of weapons.

"_These are your weapons. I made them from your old pincers, which are very durable I might add. When you are ready, follow me to the training arena."_

As he started to walk up, the others picked up their respective weapons. Keelerak looked impressed by his twin blades, while Suukorak admired the craftsmanship on his curved blade staff. Oohnorak grabbed up his silver claw, which attached to the back of his hand and wrist, while Boggarak attached her wrist blades as well.

Roparak was excited by his chain blades, as he started swinging them around and around. Vohtarak simply slung the sword over his shoulder, letting it rest on his back. Once they were all equipped, they began to follow the Keeper to this "Training arena" that he had spoken of.

The training arena turned out to be an enormous coliseum, almost as large as the great dome of Metru-nui. As they walked in, they saw rows and rows of seats, all were empty. Even so, a distinct cheering could be heard coming from the seats. As they looked around, they saw the Keeper standing on a platform above them.

"_I see you've all arrived. It is time to start the test." _As he said this, the ground beneath them began to rumble and shake, as panels began to move. As the panels moved, a huge opening was created and the sound of a rising platform could be heard. Seconds later, something big began to rise from the pit, something that left them all speechless.

"It can't be!" Was Suukorak's response as the form of the being known as the Rahi-Nui towered above them. The Rahi-Nui was a colossal mix-max of several different Rahi, having the head of a Kane-Ra bull, the body and legs of a Mauka, the forearms of a Tarakava, jumbo versions of the Nui-Ramas' wings and the tail of the Nui-Jaga. It had taken the combined power of the Toa-Metru to merely seal it away!

"_Your mission is to defeat the Rahi-Nui. If you succeed, then you can truly be called Toa."_

"Are you insane!" screamed Keelerak, "Not even the Toa Metru could defeat this thing. This thing will destroy us!"

"_We will see…" _He grew silent as the beast let loose a huge roar. The whole stadium seemed to shake from its roar. As it stepped forward, they scattered, running to different parts of the arena. Except for Keelerak, who stood his ground.

"You wanna fight? Well…prepare to lose!" Grabbing his swords, he madly charges the huge beast, yelling his battle cry as he goes. Before he even gets close enough, the huge Rahi uses its huge legs to leap above him, landing a few feet behind him. Before he could even turn around, he was swatted away by its huge tail, sending him hurtling into a nearby wall.

It advances to finish him off, when a chain wraps itself around its arm, stopping the he Rahi in its track. Looking over its shoulder, it saw Roporak, holding it back with his chain blades. The Rahi-Nui paid no attention to him, simply yanking the chain back with such force that it sent Roporak flying, crashing into the "audience". As it unwrapped the chain, it heard someone step up behind him. Turning around, he saw the red one, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Step away from him or you'll have to face me!" The beast seemed to laugh at his proposal. It did step away from Keelerak, only to start advancing on Vohtarak. Vohtarak saw its movement and pulled in the hilt of the sword. The sword did not come loose. He pulled again and once again, the sword was stuck in its sheath like glue.

By this point, the Rahi-Nui was standing right above him. It raised its clawed hand and swung at Vohtarak. Quickly, he pulled the sheathed sword off his back and raised it in front of him, like a shield. The huge claw struck the sword, but he was only pushed back. As the beast stepped back, he looked at the sheath, which didn't even have a scratch on it.

"What is this thing? It won't let me draw the sword, but it went up against an attack such as that and it didn't even make a dent in it!" He didn't have long to ponder this, as the beast prepared to attack again. Not wanting to see if the sheath could hold against another attack, he broke into a run, heading for the other side of the arena.

It was about to chase after him, when the other three suddenly jumped at him, grabbing onto his arms and tail. They tried to use their new weapons to inflict some damage, but to no avail. Starting to get annoyed, he let out another loud roar, before sending Oohnorak flying off his tail, Suukorak off his left arm, and Boggarak off his right. The all landed hard near Vohtarak, who had run to the edge of the coliseum.

"What are we going to do? This thing is too powerful!"

"There has to be a way to beat it. We just have to find out what it is!" Vohtarak said with some enthusiasm. But it was just a mask, even he didn't know if they could defeat this thing. He was unarmed and even the ones who could use their weapons couldn't even scratch it!

As they were trying to think this out, the Keeper was watching their actions closely and he was not impressed.

"_Maybe they weren't the right ones…"_

Suddenly, the huge Rahi charged right at them, drool dripping from its mouth. The three of them quickly grabbed their weapons, ready to defend themselves if the beast attacked. They were shaking, whether it was because they were afraid, or because the ground shook as the beast took a step. As the beast came, it swung its huge tail, ready to take them all out.

"No!" Acting on impulses, Vohtarak dove in front of them. The tail swung with such force, that he was sent flying into the air. As he started to plummet, the beast moved under him, its jaw wide open.

"_So…this is the end…being eaten alive by a huge monster." _was what ran throughhis head as he plummeted. Time seemed to slow down as he fell to his impending doom. Any hope of surviving had left him…he should just get it over with…

"_No." _came a voice from inside him. No matter how hopeless the situation looked, a small part of him had not given up. Deep down he knew that if he died, the others would soon meet the same fate. He had been responsible for them when he was a Visorak and he was still responsible for their safety. Slowly his hand reached for his sword. As his hand touched the hilt, the sheath began to glow a bright orange.

He couldn't give up, he had to fight until there wasn't an ounce of fight left in him. He had to protect them, he had to help them, he had to…lead them! He was there leader and nothing would stop him from leading him to victory! He let out a cry as he plummeted right into the beasts gaping mouth. The sound of chewing could be heard as the huge Rahi started to devour its prey. That sound was suddenly replaced by another sound. The sound of breaking teeth.

The Rahi-Nui began to howl in pain, as the sound of more teeth breaking could be heard. The others looked on as the enormous monster continued to howl in pain. The beast was forced to its knees before whatever was causing it pain had stopped. Moments later, something jumped from its mouth. Something red.

"Vohtarak!" cried out Boggarak, for it was indeed Vohtarak who stood in front of them, only, he seemed…different. His entire body was covered in red scales of armour. Almost like a samurai's armour. Also, he now held a sword in his hand.

The hilt of the sword resembled his previous pincers and the blade looked like solidified fire, red in colour with wavy designs.

"You three…listen to me." He had a gruff tone to his voice, which made them all listen to him. "I have a plan, but you'll have to follow it to the letter. Got it?" They all nodded. "Boggarak, you go get Keelerak, while Oohnorak gets Roporak. Suukorak, you're with me to provide distraction. Let's go!"

With that, they all raced off in different directions. The Rahi Nui had fought off its pain and was about to chase after the other two, when something hot hit its back. It turned around to see Vohtarak, his sword bathed in flames. He swung it again, sending a wave of fire flying towards the beast, who knocked it away with its claw.

"Suukorak, concentrate your energy to the tip of your weapon, then release it as soon as possible!" With that, he sent another wave of fire flying.

Suukorak did what he said, focusing his energy to the tip of his weapon, which began to glow a solid white. Swinging his curved blade, two balls of ice shot from his weapon, striking the giant Rahis' hands. Ice began to spread from the point of contact, covering its hands in solid ice.

"Well…didn't expect that to happen."

The Keeper watched as Vohtarak's plan began to unfold. He smiled as he saw them finally making some progress against the huge beast.

_"_ _Maybe I was wrong to judge them so quickly."_

The Rahi Nui was angered by their attacks. Using his tail, he breaks the ice on his arms and lets out a loud roar. He charges at the two annoyances, when suddenly something wraps itself around its neck. Turning around, it sees Roporak, one end of his chain held tightly in his hand, the other tied around its neck.

"I got him! Time to reel him in." Pulling hard on the chain, he started to drag the Rahi Nui towards him. The beast once again let out a roar, when he felt the chain around his neck start to shake. Looking down, he saw Keelerak sliding down the chain, his blades drawn. Before he could do anything to stop him, he slashed both blades across his eyes, blinding the huge Rahi. Keelerak quickly leapt off the chain as the beast started to thrash around in pain.

"Good job guys! Now, my turn." As he said this, fire began to cover his blade. In seconds, the fire began to grow until it had turned into a full-blown inferno. Breaking into a run, he charged towards the still blinded Rahi. When he got close enough, he leaped into the air, slashing his sword across the Rahi- Nui's chest, dealing a huge blow. The beast let out one last cry, before falling over, silent.

Every one of them began to gather around the now motionless body. Taking his sword, he slid it back into it's sheath, which stopped glowing once the sword was in. Also, his armour began to reside back, until he stood in his normal form. He too walked towards the hue body, wondering if it was really over.

"Is it really over?" asked Oohnorak, who walked over with Keelerak. Boggarak, not wanting to wait any longer, walked up to the body and reached out to grab its foot. She got a shock when…her hand passed right through it! They all looked on as huge body slowly disappeared before their eyes. As it disappeared, the Keeper walked up to them.

"_Congratulations. You have all passed."_

"Passed? Passed what? And what happened to the Rahi-Nui?" asked Roporak, confused.

"_You see, there was no Rahi-Nui. This was just a test to see if you were cut out to be Toa. And you all passed. Especially you Vohtarak."_

"Me?"

"_You see, that sheath that your sword came in is very special. The wielder of the sheath can call on great power in a time of need. But a sword can only be removed from the sheath…by a true leader."_

"A true…leader?"

"_Yes. By being able to fight for your friends and make decisions in the heat of battle, you have proven yourself to be a true leader."_

"Wow…"

"_Now that that's taken care of, it is time to start your real training…as Toa."_


	4. The True Leader

_Wow...has it really been five months since I updated? Well for any who are still reading this, even after that long wait, I salute you! _

**The True Leader**

Vohtarak sighed as he lay on his bed, looking up at the green fabric hanging above his head. It had been several days since the six Visorak become Toa had started their training. When they first came here, they were immediately forced to battle a Rahi nui, a creature of unspeakable horror and ferocity. Vohtarak himself had almost died at the hands of the beast, but by some strange occurrence, he was able to draw on a power that had allowed him and the other five to stop the beast in a group effort.

That was the problem Vohtarak was facing. No matter how hard he tried, he had been unable to call on that same power a second time. He looked over at the sword leaning next to his bed, its fire red sheath now a dull red. When he had called on that power to save himself, he had been able to remove the sword from the special sheath. But since then, it had stuck fast to its sheath.

When they had defeated the Rahi nui, they had been told three things from The Keeper, the person who had brought them here and turned them into Toa. He told them that the Rahi nui they had just defeated was a fake, not even possessing half of the power of the real one. He then told them that this had all been a test, to determine if they were worthy of being Toa. The third thing he had said was that the sheath holding Vohtarak's sword was special, being that the sword in it could only be removed…by a true leader.

"A true leader…" Vohtartak repeated the words for a bout the hundreds time, wondering what he had meant. How does one become a true leader? For days Vohtarak had been racking his brain around it, and had still come up with nothing.

He thought back to the others. During their training, they had all been able to use their powers, slowly at first. Through this training, they had learned two things. 1: That they still retained most of their Visorak abilities, some were even upgraded. Suukorak could still safely lower his vitals, making him almost undetectable. Alongside that, his once energy orb ability had been changed from a cage, into a shield, surrounding him and protecting him from attacks. Oohnorak still possessed telepathic abilities, more powerful this time. Roporak still had the power to blend in with his surroundings, Boggarak was happy to discover that she could still breath underwater and Keelerak was excited to discover that he was able to shoot blades out from different ports on his body. A little too excited…

The second thing they learned was that the power of their Routuka spinners had been infused with their weapons. Keelerak's twin blades could secrete a tough acid that could cut through almost anything. Oohnorak could cause anyone to come in contact with his blade claw to become completely numb, while Rporak could use his chain whips to drain energy from who ever he grabbed with it. (Roporak was still getting feeling back in his left arm and Oohnorak had gotten most of his energy back). Instead of her spinner power, Boggarak's blades could emit a sonic hum, allowing them to slice through anything.

Everyone had been happy to learn of their powers, training to try and make them better. Everyone, except for Vohtarak. He was a failure to them, unable to harness even a small bit of his power. He hadn't even been able to enter his berserker state, a state were he became more powerful. He had been able to do it, to do everything during the battle with the fake Rahi nui, but after that…nothing.

Unable to sleep with these thoughts running through his head, he decided to go get some fresh air. Grabbing the still sheathed sword and slinging it over his back, he left his tent. Where they were staying, none of them knew. What they did know was that they were in a huge desert, seeming to stretch on forever. The only things here were their tents and a strange coliseum they had fought in and were currently training in. Looking around to see if anyone was up, he started his trek into the desert. As he started walking, he didn't notice a pair of red eyes behind him, seeming to follow him into the desert…

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, Vohtarak had reached the spot. It was an area he had started coming to think. It was far enough that no one would bother him, but close enough that he could still see the tents and would allow him to get back quickly if he needed. Grabbing his sword off his back, he stuck it a few inches into the sand, making sure it would stay there. Once that was done, he fell back onto the sand, the sky full of stars hanging above him. He didn't know why, but laying here, looking up at the starts somehow always put him at peace.

But even as he lay there, thoughts continued to plague his mind. What was he doing here? He wasn't a true leader! He was just holding everyone back… They could all command their powers at will, and he couldn't even use his powers, if had any. That time with the Rahi nui was just a fluke… Sitting back up, he cast his glare on the sword, still stuck in the sand.

""Sigh… If only you could talk…Then I'd have all the answers I need." He didn't know why he said this, or even why he was talking to the sword. Maybe he was losing it…

_"Vohtarak…"_

He sat upright as the sound of his name filled the air. He looked around to try and found out who had spoken, but there was nothing there. There was no one around but him. Him and…

_"Vohtarak…"_

This time, he turned to the sword. The usually dull sheath was now pulsating, turning a shade of orange every few seconds. Picking it out from the sand, he held it up for a closer look. Was the sheath really talking to him or was he just losing it?

Suddenly, he heard movement behind him. Quickly turning, he saw a mound or sand moving, circling around him like a beast of prey. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared. He clutched the sword even tighter as he waited for something to happen.

"Who's there?" he called out, trying to hide any fear in his voice, "Show yourself!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Then he could hear a rumble noise coming from beneath him. Before he could move, the sand started to shift around him, burying his feet. He tried to pull himself free, but the sand only quickened, turning into a sand whirlpool, swallowing up his legs and quickly rising. He desperately tried to grab onto something, anything, but the more he struggled, the faster he sank. He coughed and sputtered as the sand rose above his chin, he arms already swallowed up. He tried with all his might keep his head above, but soon, even that was swallowed up. As the last of his body disappeared beneath the sand, the desert began to calm, soon becoming quiet once again.

* * *

He let out a yell as he started to plummet, a wave of sand following behind him. He continued to fall for a few more moments, before he crashed down into a huge pile of sand, more falling on top of him. The sand started to shift, as he forced his head out the top of the pile. Looking up, he saw that he was in a huge cavern, a single opening in the ceiling. Pulling himself, he dusted any remaining sand off before surveying his surroundings.

He quickly realised that he was in no ordinary cavern. The walls were made of countless stone bricks, forming into a dome. Jewels seemed to be imbedded into several of the stones, causing the room to sparkle. The only source of light in the room seemed to be several torches hanging from the walls. Most of the room was filled with piles of treasure and sand, save for a small clearing in the centre of the room.

Before he could marvel the room any longer, several of the piles started to shake. Suddenly, something big sprang from one of the piles, causing him to jump back as it stepped into the centre of the room. He clutched the sword even tighter as the something came into view.

The "thing" looked like an over sized version of a Nui-jaga. It had a huge scorpion like tail, ending in a sharp, and maybe poisonous, stinger. It's pincers were three times the size they should have been, with several spikes jutting out on the inside. It was standing on six, heavily armoured legs jutting from its side, more spikes running along them. A pair of fangs jutted out from a small head at the end of its body, a forked tongue hanging from its open mouth. Its armour shone a dark blue with gold trim.

"More prey….Juckus happy…" The thing said in a slithery tone. Slowly, it started to advance. Vohtarak stepped back as it came closer.

"Stay back, or you'll regret it!" he said, still clutching his sword.

The thing seemed to laugh at his threat. "Me not 'fraid of you. No one beat Juckus!"

With that, it charged. Vohtarak just barely moved out of the way as it barrelled into another pile of treasure, several gold items scattering around. Swinging his sword onto his back, Vohtarak started looking for a way out. He heard the sound of treasure rattling behind him, before a huge tail sprang from a nearby mound, swinging right into him. He crashed into another one of the piles, more treasure littering the floor.

He struggled to get up as Juckus reared up for another charge. As it came towards him, Vohtarak quickly grabbed the sword off his back. As one of its huge pincers came down one him, he held up his sword, the sound on metal ringing as it was held back against the glowing sheath. As the attack was blocked, Vohtarak thought he heard another sound under the ringing. It sounded like…screaming?

Shocked that its attack was blocked, it stepped back a few paces, allowing Vohtarak enough time to get back on his feet. As he got back up, he saw that the beast looked like it was…smiling?

"This good day for me. More treasure to add to mound." It clanked its pincers together at the chance to add even more treasure to its collection. Seeing his chance, Vohtarak grabbed a random object from the floor, tossing it at the beast. It hit him right in the eyes, causing it to screech in pain. He quickly broke into a run as he planned to use the time to search for an exit.

Reaching the largest pile in the room, he started to scale it, hoping that a higher up view would help him find and exit. As he reached the top, he heard the sound of a nearby pile start to shake, meaning he had to work fast! Looking around the room, he began to search for a way out, anyway out. But all he saw surrounding him was stone wall.

"There has to be a way out of here!"

"'Fraid not." Was the only warning he got before the huge beast dove from the pile, grabbing him in its huge claws before he could fall. He yelled in pain as its pincers started to dig into him. The thing once again laugh.

"You pathetic. Hope others as weak as you!"

"What…others…" he said, trying to fight through the pain.

"The others up top! Once I finish with you, I attack them. Hope they be more entertaining then you!"

_"Oh no!"_ The realisation hit him like a ton of bricks _"He's going to attack Oohnorak and the others!"_ "No, you can't!"

"Oh, but I can." Gripping him even tighter in his pincer, he turned and threw him across the room, slamming him into the opposite wall. The sword slipped from his shoulder and clanked against the floor as he slumped to the ground, in deep pain. He let out a moan as he heard the sound of the beast coming closer and closer.

"Soon, you be another treasure to add to me collection, followed by the ones up top. No one stop the great Juckus!" He let out another laugh as he continued to advance.

Somehow, Vohtarak was able to move his arm, even though he was in immense pain. He reached out towards his sword, the sword just out of his reach. He winced as pain shot through his arm.

_"Even if it hurts, "_ he thought, _"I have to stop this thing. I can't let the other get hurt or killed because I_ _wasn't strong enough."_ His hand inched even closer to the swords, as did Juckus to him. Moments later, his hand grasp the sheath, as Juckus appeared above him.

_"He must be stopped, not for me…"_

Juckus slowly raised his pincer above his head.

_"…But for my alliesall the Visorak who remain captive…"_

"It ends now!" was all he said as he brought the huge pincer down on Vohtarak.

"…FOR EVERYONE!" He screamed. As those words left his lips, the sheath sprang into life, glowing a blinding orange. A huge blast of energy domed up from the sheath, quickly growing in size.

"What be this!" was all Juckus said before he was knocked back by the dome of energy, landing in his piles of treasure. Vohtarak shut his eyes as the huge energy dome passed over him, waiting for the end.

Nothing happened. There was no pain, just nothing. Opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by total blackness. Slowly, he got up on his feet, still racked with pain.

"Where am I?" he asked once he had stood up.

_"In you subconscious."_

It was that voice again. Seconds after he had heard the voice, he noticed a glowing orange orb in the peeking out from the darkness. Carefully, he started to approach, not sure of what was about to happen. As he came closer, the orb started to take on a shape, a familiar shape. As he reached it, he realised why it looked so familiar. Hovering a foot or so off the ground, was his sword and sheath. It seemed to be surrounded by an aura of energy, gently pulsating.

"What is this?" He was unsure of what was happening.

_"This is me."_ Said the voice, only this time, he saw the sheath pulse quicken as it spoke.

"You're…alive?"

_"Yes. I have been alive this whole time."_

"Why haven't you spoken since now then?"

_"I tried, but my voice was unable to reach you. You were not ready yet to wield me. You were not…a true leader."_

"Why does everyone keep saying that! I'm not a true leader and I never will be!"

_"You are wrong. Do you not remember when you first unlocked my power?"_

"How can I forget. I was about to be eaten alive by the Rahi-nui. It had already defeated everyone else, I knew we couldn't stop it and I also knew my time was up, until…" He stopped suddenly as he realised what happened next.

"_Until…"_

"…Until I pictured what would happen to the others if I were to die. If I were gone, then the Rahi-nui would set its sights on them, singling them out one by one until none remained. If we were gone, then the rest of Visorak would remain as slaves forever."

_"So to protect the once you cared about, you wished for more power. You sound like a leader to me."_

"What are you…"

_"A leader is some one who is willing to guide others and put their lives before his own. When you were prepared to do anything to protect the ones closest to you, you became what you were meant to be, a true leader."_

"If that's true, how come I couldn't do it again."

_"You couldn't call on me again because you lost what being a true leader. When the battle was over, you forgot about it and only thought about the power it would give, and for revenge."_

Vohtarak felt ashamed as he realised what it was saying was true. After they had defeated the Rahi-nui, he had only cared about the power that he possessed and that it could help him take his revenge on Roodaka.

_"But even in you battered state, you were ready to give your life to protect everything that was special to you. As long as you don't forget that, you will always be a true leader."_

Vohtarak smiled as he looked at the sword. "I promise."

_"Good. Now, wield me, and we'll show that overgrown lobster whose boss!"_

Vohtarak reached out to grab the blade, before suddenly stopping.

_"Is something wrong?"_

"Before we go into battle, can you please tell me your name?"

The sword seemed to grow silent for a minute, pondering the question, before answering, _"It's Seria."_

"Ok Seria, let's do this!" Reaching out, he grasped the sword in his right hand. As he grabbed it, the aura of energy passed over him, filling him with energy and making him stronger. He smiled as a dome of energy once again surrounded him.

* * *

By this time, Juckus had dug himself out of the pile of sand and treasure. Getting back up on his feet, he prepared to finish off his prey.

"Whatever that was, it won't stop…" he stopped as he saw what lay before him.

Vohtarak was much different then before. The sheath had disappeared, melding into his new armour, which covered his whole body. His eyes had shifted from a shade of green, to a bright orange. The spike on the top of his head had grown in length as well, looking like the top of a helmet. He now held his sword in his right hand, the blade flickering with the power of fire. A fire red aura surrounded both Vohtarak and the sword, making him look even fiercer.

"You may be different, but you don't scare Juckus!" Filled with confidence (or stupidity) Juckus broke into a charge towards the powered up Vohtarak. When he came close enough, he swung his huge claw at his prey.

For Vohtarak, Juckus seemed to be moving in slow motion. When his claw came near him, he easily jumped over it, right above Juckus, before diving down and driving his foot into Juckus's back. The huge beast let out a cry of pain as the attack penetrated his armour.

"Why you…" Angered, he swung his tail at him, hoping to impale him. Vohtarak simple stepped out of the way, before grabbing his tail in both arms. Juckus cried out in pain as his tail was pulled with great force, before it was ripped clean off. This caused Juckus to thrash around, but Vohtarak was still able to remain on his back.

"Shall we finish this Seria?'

_"Lets."_ Was all SHE said, her voice inside his head. Tightening his grip on the hilt, a wave of energy washed over the sword, completely covering it in fire. Gripping it upside down, he drove it into the huge beast's back, a huge scream filling the air. As the fire energy was forced into the beast's body, orange cracks started to appear on its body. As Vohtarak leapt off the beast's back, a huge explosion filled the room, the force of which incinerated the treasure and pushed him right back out the hole in the roof.

* * *

Meanwhile, day had broken and everyone was frantically searching for Vohtarak. When they discovered that he wasn't in his tent, they immediately started to search the entire place, coming up with nothing.

"Find him?" Asked Boggarak after several minutes.

"Nope!" called out Roporak.

"He's not by the coliseum." Called out Suukorak as he and Keelerak returned.

"Anything?" Boggorak asked Oohnorak, who was using his telepathy to try and find him.

"Nope." Was all he said.

"Oh…where could he possibly…" she didn't get to finish that question, as the ground started to violently shake. Everyone tried to grab onto something to keep from falling over.

"Wwwhhhat issss thhis?" called out Keelerak through the tremors.

"A Nui quake?" Suggested Suukorak.

"What's that!" cried out Roporak. They all looked at where he was pointing, to see a huge explosion out in the desert. Slowly, the shaking stopped, as did the explosion in the distance.

"What just happened?" asked Keelerak.

"Let's check it out!" suggested Boggarak, "It could lead us to Vohtarak!" No one came up with a better idea, they all followed behind her as she headed into the desert. Because of the explosion, sand had been kicked up everywhere, making it harder to see. Suukorak was using his shield to try and keep the sand from their eyes as they continued to head for the point of the explosion.

"I see something!" yelled out Oohnorak. Looking closer, they could all distinctively see a figure though the sand. Several made for their weapons, unsure of what lay beyond that sand cloud. As they did this, the sand started to die down, before falling back to the ground. They all lowered their weapons as they saw who it was.

"Hey guys, miss me?" was all Vohtarak said as he stepped out from the sand cloud, still in his armoured state with his sword resting on his shoulder. The force of the explosion had blown him back up to the surface not moments ago.

"Vohtarak? Is that you?" asked Roporak, bewildered by his new form.

"Yep, it's me." Taking his sword from his shoulder, he spun it a few times, before resting it on his back, his sheath separating from his armour and surrounding the sword again. As his sword was put back in place, his armour start to recede, as he returned to normal.

_"Ah…I see you've defeated Juckus."_ Said the Keeper, stepping out from behind them.

"Wait, you knew about him?"

_"Yes, I'd sensed him hanging around here for some time now. I was planing on taking care of him myself, but it seemed you took care of him for me. It also seems you've been able to master that sword I gave you."_

"Yep. She and I are working perfectly together."

The others were of course confused by the conversation these two were having. Once they finished, Oohnorak voiced what everyone was thinking.

"What are you two talking about? Where were you? And who's Juckus?"

"Long story, I'll tell you all later. But first, what's for breakfast? I'm starving!" They all had a group laugh after that. Even Seria started laughing, though only Vohtarak could hear her.

**End Chapter**


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